Rainbow Station opens its first location in China

Richmond-based Rainbow Station, a nationally accredited private preschool, has opened the first of 110 locations it plans to develop in China in the next five years.

The company, begun by President and CEO Gail Johnson in 1989, has 10 U.S. locations in Virginia, North Carolina and Texas.

Its first international location, in Shenzhen, China, opened on Jan. 26, the first of scores that Rainbow Station is preparing to open in that country.

“Opening a new location is always an exciting thing, but taking Rainbow Station abroad has been absolutely thrilling,” Johnson said in a statement. “We are honored to have the opportunity to share our teaching methods and unique Rainbow Station programs with the Shenzhen community.”

To handle the expansion, the company has named Rick Sample president of Rainbow Station International. He served as chief financial officer of Genworth Financial’s operations in Canada, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region.

Johnson was a pediatric nurse at the Medical College of Virginia (now the VCU School of Medicine) when she started Rainbow Station 24 years ago. She wanted to create an alternative for working parents struggling to find support services for their mildly ill children during the workday.